NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS SPECIALIST

Organizational Setting

For more than four decades, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The National Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist reports to the National Technical Assistance Coordinator (Climate Change Adaptation Specialist) and will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative of the Philippines.

Technical Focus

FAO in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) will be implementing a seven-year Green Climate Fund (GCF) project entitled “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change” (APA project). APA aims to increase the resilience of rural men and women who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods in areas vulnerable to climate change while transforming the country agriculture toward climate resilience. This will be achieved through improved capacity of farmers to develop Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) enterprises and adopt financially and economically viable CRA practices, and of the government & private sectors to build supporting systems for scaling up. The project aims to directly benefit 1.25 million farmers and indirectly reach another 5.0 million people across 9 provinces in 5 regions in the Philippines.

The project will be executed by DA and PAGASA through FAO Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) and FAO Philippines providing technical assistance to achieve its objective and expected outcomes.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will undertake the following tasks and duties:

• Support the validation of environmental and social impacts of project activities in accordance to the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS), including in the selection of beneficiaries and additional assessments as may be deemed necessary to identify specific risks and mitigation interventions in the target areas.
• Support the International ESS Specialist in developing detailed annual work plan to implement the ESS risk mitigation strategies and related components of the ESMF to address the identified risks and impacts in the project sites.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders including government agencies, NGOs and community organizations to ensure the effective implementation of these action plans across project components and activities.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of trainings for project staff and other stakeholders
• Ensure the integration of ESS elements in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the ESS plan and make necessary adjustments to ensure its continued success.
• Ensure that all project activities are designed in designed and implemented in an ESS sustainable manner that would avoid resulting to adverse environment and social impacts
• Develop and maintain partnerships with relevant organizations to leverage resources and expertise in support of the ESS.
• Ensure that all activities are carried out in accordance to relevant laws, regulations and environment and social safeguards
• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.


CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Environmental Management or other related disciplines.
• At least seven (7) years of work experience on initiatives related to Environment and Social Safeguards
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• National of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).
• Familiarity with FAO operational procedures is an advantage
• In line with FAO policy, commitment to placing accountability to people affected by disaster framework at the core of FAO’s emergency policy and practice, from preparedness up to the onset of an emergency in all phases of the programme cycle

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION